Beneath Kiamo's Floor
by Fabala23
Summary: Wickedfic: Glinda discovers what really happened the night Dorothy met Elphaba. My first fic ever...please don't expect much.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

Glinda the Good Witch stepped gingerly around the rubble. All around her, she saw blackened ground and crumbling stones. Almost like a graveyard.

Yes, she told herself. A graveyard of memories.

It had been a week since that horrid little foreign girl melted the Wicked Witch of the West, known to Glinda as Elphaba. And Glinda still couldn't get over nighmares of screaming and buckets of water.

The train of her sparkly blue skirt trailed in soot, but Glinda was too preoccupied to care. She was on a mission, though she wasn't exactly sure what for.

An old crone by the roadside had beckoned to her that morning, while Glinda was visiting the site of Nessaroses's death.

"I know you, dearie, and I know how to help you," the crone said.

Glinda was utterly perplexed and a bit frightened, and said, "I'm afraid I don't know you, madame, so there is no way you could possibly know me."

The crone said, "Ah, I know you better than you think. Mother Yackle is wise, and I know what you're looking for, though you might not know it yourself."

Now Glinda was more than a little frightened, and turned to walk away.

"Stop!" cried the crone. " Hear these words!

He who scares the bird of flight

And she in clothes as dark as night.

This is whom you're searching for.

The answer lies within the floor.

And she whose Quells were but once said

Is the one who should be dead.

Beneath the pale seeing glass,

Once there laid the emerald lass.

Now there still is nothing more

Than the clues you're searching for.

Some will tell of distant location,

Some will call a nostalgic sensation.

One has told a defyer's past,

One you gave to one of contrast.

The Wind has come and gone for some

And many think their time is done

But only you can know for sure

What lies beneath Kiamo's floor.

Glinda was too petrified to turn around, and when she finally did, the crone was gone. Glinda stood, trying to piece together what had just happened. She had never been one to remember things, but she remembered every word the crone had said, and just as if it had been written out for her on paper.

_He who scares the birds of flight..._Well that obviously meant the Scarecrow who had been helping that wretched little girl. Glinda hadn't seen him in so long, only for a short while after he got his brains and saw Dorothy get home. But why would Glinda be looking for him? He was of no interest to her.

Come to think of it, the crone's words shouldn't be either. It was just a bunch of gibberish, probably from the mouth of an escaped asylum resident. Glinda tossed her curls and called up her bubble, returning home.

Later, around midday, Glinda met with the Official Cartographer of Oz. He spread a giant map over the table and pointed out a spot to the west.

"Now," he said. "This map was made a few months ago, while The Wicked Witches were both still alive. Therefore the Wicked Witch of the West's castle is still marked, though, as we all know, it was burned two days ago, to the joy of us all. Occording to historical records, it was the castle of Vinkus Royalty, called Kiamo Ko. As you..."

But only you can know for sure what lies beneath Kiamo's floor... 

Glinda suddenly choked, remembering the crone's words. _Fiyero..._ she thought..._the Winkie Prince..._

"Your goodness, madame, are you alright?" the man asked. Glinda suddenly realized she was clenching her hands on a chair and gasping for air. "Yes, yes, I'm fine," she gasped. "Just... some air..." Somehow Glinda made it outside. She leaned against the stone wall of the castle, thoughts fluttering in her mind. It couldn't be...Elphie's castle... FIYERO'S castle... That crone could be crazy, or wise. But whatever her words really meant, Glinda knew she would leave for Kiamo Ko that night. 

Now Glinda glanced over her shoulder. She had the feeling she was being watched, though she knew it was practically impossible, out here in the remote Vinkus.

Up ahead lay the base of a staircase. Glinda recognized it as the staircase she walked down that night... the night her best friend dissapeared from a world that had done nothing but shun her since birth. Without realizing it, Glinda's cheeks were wet with tears within minutes.

"Oh, Elphie." she sobbed. "You didn't deserve it...all you did was make...good..."

Glinda's knees buckled, and soon beautiful Glinda, the Good Witch, lay sobbing in the ashes where The Wicked Witch of the West had once stood.


	2. Chapter 2

When Glinda finally stopped crying, she realized how dirty her beautiful dress had gotten. She would have to wash it out herself, or the servants would get suspicious.

Glinda reached for her long wand, and found it laying upon an oval piece of green glass.

Strange, Glinda thought. I don't remember that being there before...

Overcome with fatigue, Glinda stumbled on her knees while reaching for the glass. Her hand came down next to the glass and mysteriously, the ground moved...downward.

Glinda gasped with surprise and pulled back abruptly. After clearing away more rubble, her hand came in contact with a cold door handle.

Beneath the pale seeing glass once there laid the emerald lass... 

Of course, Glinda thought, a smile forming across her lips. It was so clever... and just Elphie's style! To fool the world in believing she had melted, but slipping into a trapdoor right below her feet.

And Glinda had no doubt in her mind that the letter Elphaba had received from Fiyero had had to do with this. If this was indeed Fiyero's castle, he knew all the tricks.

Glinda glanced around once again before pocketing the green glass and pulling the door open. Cool, musty air came up from the hole. Glinda shuddered at the thought of going down into the pitch darkness, but she knew that if she didn't have a choice, if she wanted to find Elphaba.

Glinda lowered herself into the hole, cursing her balloon of a skirt, and was surprised to find it wasn't deep at all. There were three small stone steps, and then her foot hit dirt. After murmuring a small incantation, a small ball of light lit the room, and Glinda saw what was all around her.

The area wasn't very big at all. A small chair stood in one corner, and there was a cupboard on one part of the wall. Glinda heaved it open to find it empty. Her heart sunk. Strange, she hadn't even realized she was expecting something in there.

As Glinda turned to the other side of the hideaway, the clouds above parted to reveal the moon. It had gotten dark while Glinda wasn't looking. Dark enough for the moon to come out and illuminate the other side of the room.

And the trunk sitting next to that burnt broom.

A/N: ok I know its short, im sorry! Please don't eat me!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay I just figured out disclaimers (kudos to me) so here we go.

Disclaimer: Do I live in a penthouse in New York? Do I see Wicked every night from the front row of the Gershwin? Did I go to the Tony Awards? If the answer to these questions is no, then I own nothing and don't get a cent from this story. The fact is, I live in a house 70 miles from NYC, I saw Wicked once, and I enjoyed the Tony Awards from the comfort of my living room.

Glinda couldn't believe her eyes. But she knew only one person in all of Oz would have a burnt broom this far out to the West. Glinda remembered seeing it on that awful night. She was certain, this MUST be a trick of Elphaba's. And there was little doubt in her mind that Fiyero had taken part, too.

Glinda reached her trembling hands out and gripped the broom. She remembered, as if it were yesterday, when Elphaba asked her to fly on it.

_"Quick, get on!" said Elphaba urgently._

"_What?!" Glinda said. She back away, a little frightened of her best friend._

_Elphaba said, "Glinda, think of what we could do...together. We'd be unlimited. Together we are unlimited. Together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been. We can make dreams the way we planned them, but only if we work together."_

_Glinda was almost convinced. She knew that together there would be no fight they couldn't win if they defied gravity together._

"_Glinda, with you and I defying gravity, they'll never bring us down. Well, are you coming?" _

_Glinda paused. Her friend waited for an answer, eyes flashing with anticipation. Glinda then realized that this might be the right choice for Elphie, a unique green girl with special talents and an unloving family, but not for Glinda, the beautiful girl with hidden dreams and evident popularity. _

_Instead of saying no outright, Glinda merely took a cloak from the wall of the storeroom and fastened it around Elphie's shoulders._

"_I hope you're happy, now that you're choosing this," she said, with tears in her eyes._

_Elphaba tried to keep her eyes dry while she said, "You, too. I hope it brings you happiness. I really hope you get it."_

_With a trembling lip, Glinda whispered, "Please don't live to regret this. I hope you're happy in the end."_

_Before slipping into the darkness of the storeroom, Elphaba whispered, "I hope you're happy my friend."_

_The Gale Force swarmed into the storeroom and grabbed Glinda by the arms. She yelled and kicked, protesting fiercely. Suddenly a voice emerged from the shadows. "Let her go! She had nothing to do with it! I'm the one you want! It's me! IT'S ME!"_

_Glinda's breath caught in her throat as Elphaba rose out of the storeroom and into the air on the broom, crying "Nobody in all of Oz is ever gonna bring me down!" _

And they hadn't. Everyone thought that Dorothy had been a hero, but now Glinda knew the truth. She wondered if it could've changed anything, flying out of the Wizard's storeroom with Elphaba, defying gravity and the citizens of Oz.

What had made her turn back? Why?

Glinda focused her attention on the trunk. Maybe some clues would lie in the trunk. Maybe the hidden reason why she didn't join Elphie, what happened to Elphie after deserting Glinda in the storeroom, where she was now...

Glinda heaved the trunk open, too impatient to settle the thoughts whirling in her mind to care that her beautiful dress was now even more dirty with dust, which also settled in her golden curls.

A musty smell similar to rotten eggs filled the air. Glinda choked and gasped until the smell subsided, and looked inside the trunk.

There wasn't much inside for Glinda to look at. There were a few black dresses folded neatly in piles. Glinda rummaged through them and found some old schoolbooks she recognized from Shiz University. This seemed to be a trunk of Elphaba's belongings. Glinda, hoping for a clue, opened the foremost book. A small, pressed, yellow flower dropped onto the ground.

With trembling hands, Glinda picked the flower up, cradling the petals gently. She remembered that flower. It was after that dance at the Ozdust ballroom Fiyero organized his first night at Shiz. Ah, how well she could remember that day, even after all those years...


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, to the reviewers, sorry for not posting sooner:

sweet saturn:this is one of few, if not the only, flashback chapters. And the reason the last few chapters have seemed slow is probably because chapters 1 and 2 used to be combined, as did chapters 3 and 4. so hang in there, I promise it'll move more quickly!

nancystagerat: lol I have writers block usually halfway through stories, and I desert them forever. Hopefully that's not the case with this one.

WickedwitchoftheNE: I actually don't think I would taste too good...

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! Now, back to Oz!

"_So, what's the most swankified place in town?" asked the handsome prince._

"_Th-that would b-be the Ozdust Ballroom," Galinda managed to get out through her lovesick lips._

"_That sounds perfect!" Fiyero leapt onto the front fountain with such grace that Galinda nearly swooned._

"_Attention all Shiz students! I say we should all go down to the Ozdust Ballroom! We'll meet there later tonight! We'll dance till it's light!"_

_Fiyero stepped down and, taking Galinda's hands in his, said, "I hope to find the prettiest girl and give her a whirl. You'll come, won't you?"_

_All Galinda could do was nod._

"_Terrific!" cried Fiyero. "We'll go right on down to the Ozdust Ballroom. You'll be happy to be there!" _

_Soon all campus was buzzing with news of the party. Galinda was on the way back to her dorm, still a little dazed from the invitation from Fiyero, when Boq-.or was it Biq?- anyway, the annoying Munchkin who'd followed Galinda around all day approached her and said, " M-miss Galinda, I-I hope you save at least one dance for me. I'll be r-right there, waiting, all n-night."_

_Now Galinda knew this could NOT happen! How could she be seen in the company of someone so...well...LITTLE?_

"_Oh, that's so kind..." she said, scanning the grounds for some way out of this. Elphaba's invalid sister Nessarose caught her eye. " But you know what would be even kinder?" The Munchkin leaned in closer, his eyes wide, "What, Miss G-Galinda?"_

"_Do you see that...tragically beautiful girl?" asked Galinda, remembering Madame Morrible's first words on Nessa. "The one in the chair? Well, I just think it seems so unfair we should go on a spree, and not her. Gee," for now Galinda knew her fake sarcasm would even fool the stupid boy. "I know someone would be my HERO if that someone were to invite her to come with us!"_

"_Well..." the boy seemed a little doubtful. "Maybe I could invite her!"_

_Galinda forced mock-surprise on her face and exclaimed, "Oh, Biq, really? Would you do that? For ME?" She reached up and gently touched his cheek with her finger._

_The munchkin leaned against the wall, a lovesick expression on his face. "I'd do ANYTHING for you Miss Galinda!" He ran off down the stairs, and Galinda watched through the windows with satidfaction. " Well, that took care of him!"_

_Galinda went back to her room and spent the next few hours trying on outfits for the party with Shenshen and Pffanee, and everything was going wonderfully. That is, until Shenshen found that hat._

"_Oh, yes," said Galinda, trying to cover up her embarassment at having such a hideous piece of clothing. "My grandmother always sends the WORST things for my birthday."_

"_Maybe you should give it to someone you absolutely HATE, embarrass them at the party tonight," offered Pffanee. _

"_It is horrificus..." thought Galinda outloud. "But I don't hate anyone THAT much."_

_The two other girls laughed. "Yes, you do!" Shenshen managed to say._

_Galinda stood there, confused. Then she put two and two together._

"_No, I wouldn't...would I. I couldn't...could I?" she wondered. _

_Elphaba had come into the room just then, it seems, the thank Galinda for getting Nessarose a date for the dance. Instead, Galinda had shoved the hat at her, mumbling some stuff about being sharp and smart, it was really just a bunch of nonsense. Then she ran out of the room, leaving Elphaba behind with Shenshen and Pffanee, who were looking a bit confusifyed._

_That night, Galinda was looking spectactular ( as usual) and had almost forgotten about Elphaba until Madame Morrible showed up, saying Elphaba requested Galinda to be included in the seminar for sorcery. Then Elphaba had shown up in the hideous hat. Everyone laughed at her. Elphaba pretended not to care, but Galinda knew she did, and started dancing horribly. She unlike the other girls, she had CLEARLY never been given lessons. Galinda felt terrible for humiliating her, and danced just as horribly, until the other students accepted it. _

Galinda paused in her memory. She recalled something in Elphaba's eyes that night. At the time, she couldn't place it. It was like a glow, a special spark. Now she knew- to be accepted, instead of shunned- that was all Elphaba had ever wanted. Back in their room that night, Galinda had attempted a makeover on Elphaba, trying to...what had been Fiyero's term for it? Oh, yes..."galindify" her. Unfortunately, Galinda hadn't gotten very far before Elphaba saw her reflection and fled. Galinda had never understood why, it was only a little lipliner and eyeshadow...and the flower.

Elphaba had kept the flower in her hair. The last time Glinda had seen it was on their journey to the Emerald City, right after changing her name for the sake of love. She smiled gently, remembering those days. She was so young, so naïve, believing everyone had to love her. Of course, Glinda remembered, more than her name changed that day. From changing from Galinda to Glinda, she had turned from a self-absorbed, snobby girl to a caring, sensitive friend. Yes, Elphaba really had changed her for the better.

Glinda looked down at the flower. There had to be something in that trunk that could help her find her best friend.

She probed further. An old leather satchel, and some pages that seemed to be torn out from the Grimmerie. The silver ink had almost faded on them. Glinda was about to place them back in the trunk, then hesitated and put them inside the satchel. They could be worth keeping.

Glinda was reaching the bottom of the trunk. She uncovered a small wooden box, containing empty bottles. No, one was half-full. Glinda took the cork out and poured it onto her hand. Oil? How strange. What could Elphie need with this?

Glinda cleared away some blankets littered with straw. She could see the bottom of the trunk. Glinda's eyes filled with tears. Nothing in this trunk that could help her find Elphie. All this was for nothing.

In her desperation, Glinda punched the pile of blankets she had uncovered. She stopped suddenly as her had connected with something solid.

Carefully, Glinda unwrapped the folds in the blanket, revealing a hard-cover red book. Across the cover was the word "Journal".

A/NL: gets better!!! I promise!!!! I'm in preparation for the beginning of school, so after next week I may not write as often. But I promise to get the next chapter up ASAP!!!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragement! This is where the story will really get going, then...who knows? Not even I do. ï 


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